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Jul 19, 2015

How Snapchat Got Me a Job

And why it’s so much more than an app just for selfies and sexting.

My name is George Creasy, I just graduated from the University of Warwick with a Statistics degree and I finally have a job for next year, a job that I wouldn't have it if it wasn't for Snapchat.

I've always been a bit of a technology enthusiast, I even wrote about ‘The Rise of the Snapchat Celebrity’ a while back, which went on to get a whole bunch of views. My friends know me as that guy who has always downloaded the latest apps, is on all social media platforms and loves a selfie. So of course I've always been keen on Snapchat.

The job I went for is the position of Societies Officer (‘Socs Officer’)at Warwick Students’ Union, one of the seven sabbatical officer roles who run the SU and represent the 24,000 strong student body of Warwick University. The thing is though, you don't get this job through a straight application and interview process, oh no. The officers are democratically elected by the student body, meaning I had to run a campaign and convince thousands of students why I was better than the 3 others going for the same role and to vote for me.

Just like the other candidates, I knew I had to make a Facebook page, a Youtube video and maintain my Twitter account. But how else could I convince a bunch of students that I was worth voting for? Snapchat of course.

As well as putting up loads of cardboard around campus, I took inspiration from a certain Snapchat celebrity Casey Neistat and also put up snapchat ghosts with my handle on, I also told anyone and everyone I met to add me on snapchat: CREASY4SOCS

And boy did it work, by the end of the week I had hundreds of people viewing my snap stories every day, I tried my hardest to story as much as I could, and show people what it’s like to run for a sabbatical position and why they should vote for me!

I also reviewed a food outlet on campus every single day, with the winner being Bar Fusion, an oriental styled restaurant on campus. I also went clubbing on the wednesday night and took far too many selfies. Using Snapchat gave me a chance to reply to any snaps people would send me, in a way that a facebook page just couldn't.

A delightful picture of me in front of an obscenely large piece of yellow cardboard. Featuring my adopted logo: The Snapchat ghost.

Throughout the week I had people sending me snapchats of them casting their votes for me and I was being recognised as ‘The Snapchat Guy’ around campus. It was honestly exhilarating.

Luckily my campaign proved successful and I was elected Societies Officer of Warwick SU, and I must say that if it wasn't for Snapchat, I don't think I'd have been successful.

This experiment really is proof that Snapchat allows for a much more immersive and personal type of engagement with viewers, whether they be friends, potential voters, or customers of a business. I really can see why Snapchat can charge so much for adverts and sponsored stories inside the app, because a view on Snapchat is so much more powerful than a like on Facebook or a follow on Twitter, it is active engagement, and that could be the difference between someone buying your product or not, or in my case, voting for me.